Malaysia plans to return 1,476 Myanmar nationals on 29 September, but UNHCR says it is not involved in the process and that current conditions in Myanmar do not allow safe, dignified and sustainable refugee return.
by RK Desk
Kuala Lumpur, 3 September 2026: The UN refugee agency has said it is not involved in Malaysia’s planned return of 1,476 Myanmar nationals later this month and warned that continuing conflict and violence mean conditions in Myanmar remain unsafe for refugee return.
Malaysia’s Home Ministry announced last week that the first group of 1,476 people would be returned on 29 September as part of what it described as a voluntary repatriation programme.
But UNHCR told Reuters that it has no role in the planned operation.
The agency said continuing armed conflict and violence across Myanmar mean conditions do not currently exist for refugees to return safely, voluntarily and with dignity. It also stressed that any return must be based on an informed and genuinely voluntary decision and that protection risks must be considered before anyone is sent back.
Malaysia’s Home Ministry declined to respond directly to UNHCR’s concerns and referred Reuters to its earlier statement describing the repatriation process as voluntary.
The identities and ethnicities of the 1,476 people have not been publicly disclosed.
Earlier, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Myanmar had agreed to receive 5,000 Rohingya. However, Malaysia’s subsequent Home Ministry announcement described the first 1,476 returnees more broadly as Myanmar nationals and did not say how many, if any, are Rohingya.
According to Malaysia’s Home Ministry, the first group was identified by Myanmar authorities and is scheduled to travel aboard two military vessels and a hospital ship operated by the Myanmar junta.
The ministry said 10,388 Myanmar nationals were being held in immigration detention centres across Malaysia as of 15 August. It has not publicly clarified whether any of the 1,476 prospective returnees are UNHCR-registered refugees or asylum-seekers, how individual consent was assessed, or where they will be taken after arriving in Myanmar.
UNHCR said refugee returns must be voluntary and based on informed decisions, and urged authorities to consider the protection needs of everyone involved before any return takes place. The agency said it remains ready to work with relevant authorities on protection safeguards.
The lack of UNHCR involvement leaves significant questions over how voluntariness and protection risks are being assessed, particularly for people who may be held in immigration detention.
For Rohingya, any return to Myanmar would also raise questions over legal status, freedom of movement, security and the conditions they would face after arrival.
